A guide to choosing your perfect wedding album
What size should my wedding album be?
As with some of the other options, the size you opt for may be dictated by budget. But it’s worth considering other factors too…what will you be doing with your album?
A smaller size – such as 10×10 inch album (and I wouldn’t suggest smaller than that!) – is not only budget friendly but is more easily handled if you’re looking to be showing it off at every opportunity. However the photos will appear smaller which is something to bear in mind; as do I when designing photo albums of varying size! The biggest albums – such as a 16×12 inch – are great for showcasing your photos in large scale and even the smaller photos on the page will be a good size. But they are somewhat more bulky and harder to handle. The most popular wedding album sizes I tend to suggest are around the 12×12 inch size which give you the best of both worlds
How many pages/spreads should my wedding album have?
If you thought choosing the size of your wedding album was a headache, then how do you even start with working out how many spreads (or double pages) you will need?!
The more spreads you include, the more it bumps up the cost so your budget comes into play a fair bit here. Ultimately it depends on how many of your wedding photos you are wanting to include (and there’s a handy guide for choosing your wedding photos here!) but I tend to suggest using an average of 5-6 images per double page spread to work out how many spreads you will need. The majority of wedding albums I design incorporate somewhere between 20-30 double page spreads.
Which wedding album cover should I choose?
Never judge a book by it’s cover….well I have to say I totally disagree with that one!
Your cover can make or break your wedding album; it’s the first thing you see and appearance is everything. There is so much choice that if you don’t have any idea of what you want, it can be pretty overwhelming. First of all you need to think about the material you might like….from robust Leather (or faux leather alternative) to beautifully soft Velvet and textured Linen or Buckram, there are lots of options. Although they have proven less popular in recent years, there’s also the option of a photo cover.
If you’re really not sure which material to choose, it may end up being dictated by your colour preference. Do you want your wedding album to match your wedding colour scheme? Or your venue/location? If you had a traditional British wedding in a country manor house you might want a neutral shade such as Ivory or Cream. If you had a big Hindu ceremony which was filled with colour then you might prefer to opt for something more vibrant. There are also lots of natural shades and tones (and even a beautiful wood cover) if you had an outdoor wedding which would complement your surroundings. Or you could just plain opt for a colour that takes your fancy!
Find out more about choosing your wedding album cover here
Should my wedding album have a box?
Every good wedding album needs a presentation box to store it in and it really finishes off the entire product.
Although there are several box options depending on your wedding album choice, this is a fairly easy win in the decision stakes as most couples tend to go for a box that matches and complements their album cover.
What should I put on my wedding album cover?
Not only do you have to choose a cover but what to put on it and the finish. So what do you put on your cover?
I recommend keeping it fairly simple….names and possibly your wedding date or for complete simplicity and a minimalist look you could just use your initials. Depending on the printing method, if you had a wedding monogram or logo then it’s a great idea for your cover and would definitely make it completely personal! Some recent clients were keen to have a personalised cover so we included their first names with an outline of the Isle of Skye where they got married. It looked fantastic and gave the album a personal touch before you even open the cover!
For all the wedding albums I offer, there are three different methods of personalising your wedding album cover which can partly be dictated by the material you choose and partly by the finish you prefer.
UV Printing – Text or logos are printed using a ultra violet light method with ink onto the material. This is a very versatile method as it can be used with any personalised design or font and creates a bold looking finish.
Laser Engraving – As with the UV printing, this method enables any personalised design or font which is then engraved using a laser onto the material. The result tends to be more subtle than UV printing as it creates a darker shade of the cover material.
Text Stamping – This method creates a beautiful and most elegant finish but is a little more restricted as it uses traditional stamps to produce text on the cover in a pre-defined font. There’s the option of colourless stamping for a very subtle effect or you can add a colour to the text which adds more depth to the finish particularly with a gold or silver option.
How do I choose which photo layout and style I prefer?
When it comes to wedding album design, I could talk about it all day! But don’t worry I’ll stick to a brief overview here at least.
Do you want a bold, full on type of look where photos overlap and fill the background? Something more traditional and clean looking or something in between – perhaps a simple layout but with the odd showcase photo? It’s probably easier to see visual examples so feel free to hop over to look at my design styles and I am always more than happy to create a few different sample designs if you’re unsure.
Are the wedding albums printed on different styles of paper?
Now it just ends up really complicated! There are three main paper types you will find with the majority of professional wedding albums on the market.
They are all great quality but create a slightly different finish and feel to your album. Lustre and Velvet are both types of photographic paper whereas Fine Art is pretty ronseal and is more of a matt ‘arty’ paper.
Lustre Photographic Paper – This is the standard for most professional flush mount albums and usually included in the cost. It produces vibrant prints and has a semi-matte finish which creates a slight sheen when light is reflected. It’s the most cost-effective option amongst the three paper types.
Velvet Photographic Paper – Similar to the Lustre paper, it produces a vibrant print finish but is more of a matte look and less light reflective. True to its name it also has the most silky smooth feel to it which creates a real luxurious effect to your wedding album. I have to say this is my favourite type of paper! It does come with an added premium compared to its Lustre cousin though.
Fine Art Paper – This really produces quite a different look and feel to the other two photographic paper options. If you’re looking for something a bit more ‘arty’ then this paper fits the bill. The paper has a very textured finish and produces a much more matt type of print which works really well with certain styles of photography. This is the priciest paper type of the three.
Are there any extra options to add to my wedding album?
Depending on your album choice there are added extras available.
Tracing/Vellum Paper Insert – This single page semi-opaque insert fits into the front of your album for a beautiful introduction. It’s a really elegant finishing touch that can be used for your names, date and wedding details, or past clients have added wedding poems and quotes or their wedding monogram. The world is your oyster!
Downscale/Replica Albums – If you’re keen on giving a copy of your wedding album to your parents or key wedding guests then replica albums are the most cost effective way of doing this. The albums do need to be the exact same as the main album – so unfortunately you can’t swap photos around – but they do work out very reasonably priced.
Some albums offer finishing touches such as ribbons in a variety of colours or differing page thicknesses for added luxury.
Hopefully those wise words of wisdom have given you some good starting points for choosing the elements of your wedding album. Of course I am more than happy to help with suggestions whether that’s knowing how many spreads you may need, what to put on your cover or even the cover choice. Feel free to get in touch with any of your queries or wedding album requirements.
Want more wedding album inspiration? Look no further….
What are the different types of Wedding Album?